This invention relates to a cable guide block for use in a cable connection processing apparatus and, in particular, to a cable guide block for use in a cable connection processing apparatus to connect an end portion of a cable terminated by a cut end to a cable connection portion of an electroconductive contact.
A conventional cable connection processing apparatus comprises a cable guide block provided with a guide groove for receiving an end portion of a cable, and a cable pusher movable with respect to the guide groove in a direction perpendicular to a cable receiving direction along which the cable is introduced into the guide groove. The cable pusher is for pushing the end portion of the cable onto a cable connection portion of a contact mounted in an electric connector disposed below the guide groove so as to carry out connection operation. The cable is covered by a sheath made of an elastically deformable material such as polyvinyl chloride resin.
The cable guide block comprises a first surface facing the cable pusher for pushing the end portion of the cable onto the cable connection portion, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and a third surface confronting an end face of the cable being inserted. The guide groove is formed in the third surface and extends from the first surface to the second surface. The guide groove comprises a pair of wall surfaces for guiding the end portion of the cable, and a bottom surface for receiving the end face of the cable. A distance between the wall surfaces is greater than a diameter of the cable.
The end portion of the cable is guided into the guide groove above the cable connection portion and moved in the cable receiving direction until the end face of the cable is received by the bottom surface of the guide groove. Thus, the end portion of the cable is placed in a proper position for connection. Then, the cable pusher is downwardly moved from a standby location above the guide groove in a direction perpendicular to the cable receiving direction to thereby push the end portion of the cable downwards. Consequently, the end portion of the cable is pressed onto the cable connection portion of the contact disposed below the guide groove to thereby carry out connection operation.
In the above-described cable guide block, the pair of the wall surfaces of the guide groove are planar and parallel to each other and are spaced with a distance greater than the diameter of the cable. Therefore, when the cable is moved along the cable receiving direction, the end portion of the cable is allowed to be bent aside. In this connection, the end face of the cable may reach a wrong position deviated from the bottom surface of the guide groove. More specifically, the end face of the cable may be received by the cable connection portion of the contact disposed below the cable guide block or by the cable pusher located above the cable guide block. Thus, the cable is possibly be placed in a wrong position.
In another conventional cable connection processing apparatus, a moving mechanism for moving a cable in a cable receiving direction per se comprises a positioning mechanism. Such apparatus is also disadvantageous in that the cable may be placed in a wrong position when the end face of the cable does not reach a predetermined position of the guide groove due to presence of a twist in the cable which has been wound around a reel.
As described above, it is impossible to reliably connect the end portion of the cable to the cable connection portion of the contact unless the end portion of the cable is placed at a predetermined position of the guide groove.